Ice crushing and blading mechanism



March 7, 1961 Filed July 30, 1956 LE GRAND H. LULL ICE CRUSHING ANDBLADING MECHANISM '7 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR. 4562mm 6. 041.

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hydraulic tilting United States Patent C l h 2,973,591 ICE CRUSHING'ANDREADING MECHANISM Le Grand H. Lull, 7716 S. Cedar Ave, Minneapolis,Minn.

Filed July 30, 1956, Ser. No. 600,881

Claims. (Cl. 37-41) This invention relates generally to improvements inequipment for crushing or shattering and blading ice and quently occurand many solutions for this problem have, 7 been. suggested, withoutmuch success.

Where the snow falls'to a considerable-depth the ordinary snow plow ispractical but-such equipment is of little or no utility Where icefreezes on the surfaces of the roadways, run- .ways, etc, or where athin layer of the snow becomes compacted to practically the consistencyof ice by traffic,

and such ice or compacted snow sometimes offers an even greater hazardtotraific than does the ordinary heavier snow fall as is well known. a

It is the primary object of my invention to provide equipment suitablefor underb'ody mounting upon a truck or the like, which will permit therapid, effective and safe removal of compacted snow or ice from surfacesover which vehicle's travel, and which equipment consists ofinterchangeable ice blades for scraping the sur face and roller crushersfor, crushing the ice or hard compacted snow, either to facilitateblading or making salting more effective.

. Another object is to .prov'idean that it will withstand all stressesto which it subjected'in use .whi1e actually reinforcing .and stiffeningthe truck chassis, and which will permit the change from improved urrderbody' mounting for "connecting. either the blade or roller: crushersto the truck frame and which is so designed Patented Mar. 7, 19l

of the hold-down rams for the blade is shown as broken away in order toillustrate in horizontal section one of the pivot connections betweenthe blade and the associated drawbar. 1

Fig. -2 is a side elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 1 on anenlarged scale and showing a part of the cab as well asthe rear wheelsuspension for the truck or vehicle operating the blade.

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the assembly of Figs. 1 and 2, with thesmall portion of the transverse tie frame structure shown in section.-

f 'Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse sectional view through ,one of thevertical pivot connections for the blade and associated parts, this viewbeing taken substantially along the line 44 in Fig. l. V

Fig. 5 isan enlarged fragmentary side elevation, similar to the lowerlefthand portion of Fig. 2, but illustrating the arrangement by whichthe blade may be mechanically .or manually adjustedas to tilt.

I Fig. :6 is a top plan view similar to Fig. l, but showing the iceroller crusher-s which are employedupon the same mounting frame anddrawbar structure as the .ice blade, and with the hold-down rams andtheir mounts broken .away-forclarity;

Fig. 7 is'an enlarged transverselsectional detail view takensubstantially along the line 77 in Fig. .6. Fig; 8 -is a.s-ide elevationlike Fig. 2 but showing the .icerollercrusher assembly. J In this viewone of the 6 drawbars lS- b1'0kfl .away .and the swaybarconnection tothe cross member which tiesthedrawbars together shown-in section.

. one of the sections 'or assemblies of disks which go to i 1 Etailblade to roller crushersin a very short. time. In con- .nection withthis object of my invention I provide pivoted, cross connecteddrawbars'on: whiohjtheblade or. roller .crushers are mounted,-fwith hydraulicrams. connected to Referring now moreflpai'ticularly -and by "referencelsaid drawbars to :raisehndlower the blade or; crushers i as required,and alsoprovid eiforeither mechanical or V v of the 'blade fon best'operation under all Condit ns, l V

' 9 Another and imp ortant object of my inventionis to 'provide ariimproveddce roller crusher madeup of a K series of disks theperipheraledges of which are adapted to roll in fcontact with the 'icedgsurface to. crush and 6 'crachthe same;- In accordauce withmyinventionthese .to']acco mmodate, itself-to the roadfsurface, and,such.

- peripheral. edgejs o f the disks are wrinkled oriuhdulated i so thatthey willfform' irregular rats in the surface over which they travel,making: trafiic over the ice safer andovercoming;- the tendencyof-straight edgeddisks to cause thetrucl; to movesidewise .offtheintended'pathf H of travel. Also in accordance with this. object of myinventionthe disksare arranged in sections c rgangs each I ;-of; whichis oscillatably v supported from ithei drawbars Fig.3. is. an enlargedtransverse sectional view. through makeupthe ice roller crushermechanism.

Fig.;;l-0 is angenlarged longitudinal sectional and dej ew showing'thetrunnion oroscillatablemounting for on'eofvthe disk sections asviewed substantially. along the line re rain Fig. 6.; r r

- @Fig. .11: isr-aJcomposite side elevationand end view of.oneofthespacercollars locatedzbetween the disks.

,Qcharacters to thedrawingjit will: be understood .that "themechanismgoing Jto make up -my present inventioii is .carried -and,;operated by; a vehicularflframe, such as ,a truck, pnly the'sidechann'elsA and cab-B. of'whichappear in the drawing. Myice.bladingiandIcrushingimech anism. is .underbody' :mounted, that is}.it extends, crosswisebeneath the, body or chassis frame j of v the'-truck, 0 ,;and inFigsQl and -6 :the directionof travel is;to.ward the;

right ,so that. frontfland rear designations .of the parts .as

ehereinafter described will ber understood; Also thefright l and lefthand designations of certain parts .will-be under-l.

stood if it is assumed; that these parts are. viewed front the .rear ofthe machine. I

designated collectively at '13, with intermediategspacers gi twhichspace the side plates outward from saidgchannels. In addition there is atransversely extending'tie in ;-accordance. with myinvention a mountingframe, designated ;'genera1ly=at 1 0,: is-secured to the .chaniiels'A' vandihe same includes side plates andlz Which paraliermschannasA and aresecuredthereto by bolts,"

In the structureasshown drawbars 27-28 carry an ice scraper blade 44which and comprising end plates 15 which are bolted at 16 to theaforesaid side plates 11-12 and which depend well below the level ofsuch side plates as is best seen in Fig. 3. At their lower ends theplates 15 are rigidly joined by a tubular tie member 17 diagonallybraced at 18 to the upper parts of the plates and pivotally mounted bymeans of sleeves 19 upon this member 17 is a center frame 20 providedwith spaced side rails 21 which define therebetween a generallyforwardly and rearwardly extending guideway 22. This center framestructure, as well as the guideway, isthus permitted oscillatingmovement about a transverse axis for a purpose presently to appear andin order to restrain the center frame from movement toward either sidelock collars 23 are suitably secured to the member 17 outwardly of thesleeves 19. In addition the mounting frame structure 10 includes sidebars 24 and 25 which parallel the side plates 11-12 and are securedthereto with intervening spacers 26 which space the side bars in anoutward direction, as is clearly apparent in Fig. 1.

In accordance with my invention the mounting frame 10 also comprisesdrawbars 27 and 28, each made up of two rigidly connected plies ofsuitable bar material, and at their forward ends these drawbars 27-28are pivotally mounted by pins 29 between the ends of heavy brackets 30which are clamped to the forward ends of the side bars 24-25 and heldthereto by means of bolts indicated throughout at 31. Rearwarddisplacement of the drawbars 27-28 under draft is prevented by means ofrearwardly extending portions 32 of the brackets 30 which are bolted at33 to the side bars 24-25 themselves. As is shown to best advantage inFig. 1 the drawbars 27-28 angle outwardly at a point rearward of thebrackets 30 and then extend in planes parallel with the side bars 24-25,with these parallel rear portions of the drawbars bifurcated to providean intermediate space or channel in each, as designated at 34. The openrear ends of the drawbars are normally closed by blocks 34 (Figs. 3 andremovably held in place by bolts 34*. Atsome distance forwardly of theirrear ends the drawbars 27-28 arefitted with apertured lugs 35 welded orotherwise suitably secured in place and forming attachment points forthe lower ends of hold-down rams 36-37, one at each side of theassembly. These rams 36-37 each comprise a cylinder 38 the upper end ofwhich is pivoted by a pin 39 in the upper end portion of a saddlebracket 40, one of which is secured (as by bolts 41) to the rear end ofeach of the side bars 24-25. The rams, of course, include theusual-pistons which do not appear herein but. from which theredownwardly extend reciprocatable piston rods 42 the lower ends of whichare pivoted by pins43 to the aforesaid lugs 35. Thus it will be seenthat the hold-down rams 36-37 are in e'ffectbraced between thestationary portions of the mounting frame and the drawbars 27-28 so thatthe selective admission of fluid to the upper and lower ends of the ramcylinders 38 will raise and lower the drawbarstand parts carried therebywith respect to the mounting and vehicle frames as well as the surfaceover which the machinetravels. i

in Figsl through 5 the also acts as across member to tie togetherandspace the rear end portions of the drawbars. The blade 44 isitself outof conventional configuration having. a removable 'cutting edge 45 andaswill now be described this blade. 'is pivotally carried by thedrawbars 27-28 for movements about a generally upright axis, as'well asin such' fashion as to permiteither end of the blade to be arranged in.advance ofthe other to thus'adjust the blade angle according to thenature of the work being done. Also as will now be described and asseenin. Figs; 1

through 4 the blade 44 is arranged to be hydraulically tilted in avertical plane paralleling the direction of travel so that the angle ofthe 7 cutting edge" to the surface traveled by the machine may beadjusted as working conditions may dictate.

The blade mountings comprise for each end of the blade a slide 46 whichis substantially I-shaped in cross section, as seen in Fig. 4, with acenter web 47 adapted to slidably enter the spaces 34 in the bifurcatedrear end portions of the drawbars 27-28. Also as is clearly shown inFig. 4 the slides 46 overlie both the upper and lower edges of thebifurcated drawbars, thus to prevent any tendency of the assembly totilt in a transverse direction, while permitting the slides to beadjusted forwardly and rearwardly in the spaces 34 in adjusting theworking angle of the blade. The slides 46 are locked in adjustedpositions by means of lock pins 48 which may be thrust through any of aseries of registering openings in the rear portions of the drawbars andthe webs 47 of the slides, these openings being indicated throughout at49. Cast integrally with each slide 46 or otherwise suitably securedthereto is a large hollow pivot stub or sleeve 50 which is circular inhorizontal section and the open lower end of which is closed by acircular bottom plate 51 in which is a cap screw 52 welded to saidbottom plate 51. These pivot stubs 50 are journaled or oscillatablymounted down into upwardly opening bearing sockets 53 which are formedin bearing members 54, the lower ends of such sockets 53 being closedexcept for central apertures 55 to pass the aforesaid cap screws 52, sothat when the nuts 56 are screwed upon the lower ends of the cap screwsthen these bearing assemblies will be held against relative verticaldisplacement of the parts as will be readily understood. As is seen inFig. 1 each bearing member 54 is provided with side plates 57 and 58extending generally forwardly and rearwardly and the forward ends ofthese side plates fit between brackets 59 and 60 which are welded to theupper rear portion of the blade 44 adjacent each end thereof and abovethe rearwardly extending stiffening flange 61 which extend substantiallythe full length of the blade. A main pivot pin 62 then fits through theforward lower corners of the sides 57-58 of each bearing member 54 andthrough the brackets 59 and 60 so that the blade may tilt about thegenerally transverse axis of these main pivot pins 62 in order to adjustthe tilt of the blade as aforesaid.

At the sides of the machine, outwardly of the bearing structures justdescribed, there are hydraulic tilting rams only one of which appears at63 and each of which has a cylinder 65 with its lower end pivotallyattached by a pin.66 between the outer brackets 60 aforesaid andadditional brackets 67 which are secured to the back of the blade 44 andextend rearwardly therefrom, parallel to the brackets 60. The cylinders65 contain the usual pistons (not shown) from which are upwardlyextended piston rods 68 the upper ends of which are pivoted by pins 69in the upper portions of upright brackets 70 welded to the bearingmembers 54 aforesaid. Thus the admission of fluid to the upper or lowerends of the cylinders '65 to retract or extend the piston rods 68 willswing the blade about the axes of the pivot pins 62 and adjust the tiltof the blade to thereby provide the best angle of attack upon the ice-orcompacted snow I (Fig. 2 on'theroad surface S (Fig. 2). ,In combinationwith the raising and lowering of the blades by the hold-down rams 36-37and the angling of the blade by adjustmentof the slides 46 on thedrawbars 27-28 this tilting adjustment provides for all necessaryadjustments of the blade and I find that it is very effective inremoving v a readily understood.

.raszsmsa 74. As the blade is raised and lowered the sway 'bar 75 movesforwardly and rearwardly in the guideway 22, which tilts as necessary byvirtue of its pivotal supporting sleeves 19, and such sliding motionalso occurs asthe "blade is angled and tilted. However, thesway :barbeing laterally confined in the guideway, it effectively functions toovercome any tendency of the entire blade assem- -bly 'to sway or movetoward either side of the vehicle, holding it to the'pathtnaveled'by thevehicle'as will be I InFig the blade 44 isshown as arranged to be tiltedmechanically by contrast with the hydraulic tilting afforded by-t-herams 63 as just described. -Where the "parts cor'respondin. bothstructures they are designated with respect to the bearing membersandlthen locked in position by thrusting the pins 78 "through any ofthese openings 79; --As here shown .therexare" three of. such openings"79 in each bearing member permitting the blade to betilted to andlocked in any one .ofthree different positions. Also in Fig. 5 Iillustrate a .nniversal I joint connection at 80 between the hold-downram piston rod 42. and the pin 43 on the drawbar27, whichmay'beusedl'throughout ifdesirable.

Referring now to Figs. 6 through 11 .I will describe what I refer toherein as :the ice crushing mechanism or ice roller crusher forming apart of my present invention.

This mechanism is arranged in conjunction with a mounting' frame and tiebar assembly identical to that pre- "viously described with referencetoFigs. '1 through 5 and Jslopinghighway or runway surfaces as will bereadily ,;understood.

'against center' collars 104 engaging the inner races of the thrustbearings 8687 and entering the bearing housings 85 through dust and oilseals 105 provided in end plates 106 which are held by cap screws 107 tothe opposite ends of the housings. The outermost disks 83 are held inplace by outer collars 108 which slip over the extremities of the shaft84 and which are forced into place by circular, marginally flangedretainer plates 189 held upon the ends of the shaft 84 by'means of capscrews 110 passing through the retainers and threaded into the shaft. Itis important to note that the collars 103 and 10 8 are :all splitlongitudinally, as is designated at 111 in Fig. 11, and that each ofthese collars is beveled olf on one end at.112,to fit internal bevels113 in the outer edges of the disk hubs 102. It will thus be evidentthat when the disks and collars are arranged upon the shaft 84 as shownall corresponding parts are. accordingly designated 'bythe "referencenumerals heretofore used. This mechanism comprises two rotatably andoscillatably mounted disk gangs or sections, designatedgenerallyat 81'and 82, each of which .is. made up of'a s'eriesof circular disksdesignated 'throughout-at 8.3"and arranged side by side upon acommonshaft 84, as'is seen to best advantage in Fig. 9.

As":here shown the disks 83 are arranged in groups of fo'urluponopposite end portions offthe shaft! and at oppositeisides of ahcenterbearing housing 85 within which are opposed thrust bearings 86'andj87rotatably 'supporti'ngtheshaft 34 and bearing against-the opposite"sides of a diametrically enlarged centerrib 88' thereon.

. wardlyextending'trunnions 89 and 90,.asseen in Fig; 10,

which are oscillatably' mounted'fin bearing socketsg91 and 92 formed intrunnion bearings-93 and 9 4' 'depending and described herein'theretainer plates 10% may bring endwise pressure on the assemblies, ateach side of the bearing housings 85 as the cap screws. 110 are boltedtight. The interfitting bevels 112-113 on the collars and hubs will thencause the collars 193 and 108 tobe constricted on the shaft andwill'firmly lock all of the disks to the shaft to rotate as a unittherewith. It will,

however, be also understood that the disks may be vfreed forcrelativeangularadjustment about ,the axis of the shaft merely by slightlyloosening the cap screws 110. The cap screws'are protected by cover caps114 held in place by cap screws 115, in order to protect them, as wellas the ends of the shaft, and the-collar assembliesfrom the entrance offoreign matter of any kind.

I am aware that it has-been proposed heretofore to crush or" removeicefrom vehicular surfaces by the use 7 of disks; the peripheral edgesof which are-:caused'to roll overthe iced surface. In accordance with myinventiomhowever, these peripheral edges 116 of the disks are notstraight, as viewed from the'edg'e, but instead are iwrinkled orundulated so that alternate'portions of. the

:disks are offset in opposite directions, entirely around i the disks asdesignated at 117 118. The disks, however,

are truecircles as viewed in an axial direction, and these (wrinkled orundulated edges have ashattering effect upon the iced surface due to thelateralstresses to which the iceis subjected as the opposite undulationso-f the edges ---.of the rolling disks come: into contact therewith. Not

only does this configuration of 'the disks thus have an increasedshattering and crushing effect uponthe ice but -{ff0111 slides 95 and. 5,6, which otherwise are identical to. the; slides 46 heretoforedescribed. These slides,95--96 l are Zpositionedin the spaces34' in thebifurcated rear ends'of the drawbar s 27- 23 and "are held-.in properlyspaced-apartrelation to support-thebearinghousings15 bymeans ofremovablelock pins 97 and 98 thrust through: a

' suitable'openings formed in the rear ends of the 'drawbars studio thewebs of the slides and indicated throughout at f 99. "There areseverallof such openings 99 in the-draw- :bars so thatthei disk gangsor"--sections may be adjusted lforwardly' or rearwardly as may berequiredgand the forw-ardmost slide 95 is provided with a rearwardexten- I .re argslide 96- as ;a further aidin holding thes'lidesand 1their associated trunnion bearings against ;spreadingnapart in a-forwardor rearward direction. Thistrunnionsupprefer, .-.as 'shown'in'Fig: 6; toarrangecorrespondingly ,port for the diskggangs 81:482 permits each; tooscillate ina generally transverse-and vertical plane, so. that its ,jtks zl fimay mmodat themselves to-irregulargor undulated portions of thedisk edges on adjacentdisks in 1 directly opposing relation the disksmay-as aforesaid be readily turned and adjusted..:about the. ages of theshafts ;84:,in order to 'set up the disks in'anyv desired relativepositions which may be desiredtupon the: partof the -operator. ThiSiSone reason for the beveledhub and 1 I collar mounting for the disks'uponrthe shaftsf84, in; ad'- dition to'which thismounting providesforztheconvenient replacement or the disks when necessary, as well. as'for variationsin the distance, between adjacentdisksmerely bytusing-spacer collars 103 of varying lengths;v 0

In order,totiethe drawbars-27+28together transverse :ly and to attachthem to the-sway bar 75I provide a tie bar or crossmembendesignat'e'd,generally at 119,: At one end this tie bar 119 has afork 120 to fit over upper and lower edges of the drawbar 27 to whichthis fork is then held by means of a bolt 121 passing through the space34 in the drawbar. At the opposite end the tie bar is fitted with atubular sleeve 122 in which the shank 123 of a similar fork 124 isfitted and held in any adjusted position by means of a lock collar 125pinned to the shank inwardly of such sleeve, as is best seen in Fig. 7.The fork 124 is then attached by means of a bolt 126 to the otherdrawbar 28 in order to prevent the drawbars from spreading or movingrelative to the other at their rear ends. At its center the tie bar isthen provided with apertured lugs 127 to receive the aforesaid pin 72 bywhich the clevis 74 of the sway bar 75 is attached, as a further guardagainst transverse swaying motion of the assemblies with respect to themounting frame and the vehicle. Stops 128 on the drawbars 27-28 preventrearward displacement of the tie bar as well be readily evident.

It is understood that suitable modifications may be made in thestructure as disclosed, provided such modifications come within thespirit and scope of the appended claims. Having now therefore fullyillustrated and described my invention, what I claim to be new anddesire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In an ice and snow loosening mechanism of the character described formounting beneath the body of a vehicle, a mounting frame secured to saidbody and including a rearwardly located tie frame having a forwardly andrearwardly extending guideway, forwardly and rearwardly extendingdrawbars pivoted at their forward ends to said mounting frame for upwardand downward movements at their rear ends, means connected between themounting frame and the drawbars for moving the latter upwardly anddownwardly at their rear ends, apparatus mounted on the drawbars forloosening ice and snow over which the vehicle travels, a memberextending in a generally crosswise direction beneath the vehicle bodyand secured to said drawbars between their front and rear ends, and asway bar pivotally attached to said last mentioned member for movementabout a generally crosswise pivot axis and extending rearwardlytherefrom and into said guideway for longitudinal sliding movementtherein.

2. In an ice and snow loosening mechanism of the character described formounting beneath the body of a vehicle, a mounting frame secured to saidbody and including a rearwardly located tie frame including a partpivoted on a transverse axis and having a forwardly and rearwardlyextending guideway, forwardly and rearwardly extending drawbars pivotedat' their forward ends to said mounting frame for upward and downwardmovements at their rear ends, hydraulic rams connected between themounting frame and the drawbars for moving the latter upwardly anddownwardly at their rear ends, means mounted on the drawbars forloosening ice and snow on a surface over which the vehicle travels, amember extending in a generally crosswise direction heneath the vehiclebody and pivotally attached to said drawbars between their front andrear ends, and a'sway bar universally pivoted to said last mentionedmember and extending rearwardly therefrom and into said guideway forlongitudinal sliding movement therethrough, said guideway having atransverse dimension such as to engage the sides of the bar to restrictsuch sliding movement to a fore and aft path.

3. In an iceand snow cutting mechanism of the character described formounting beneath the body of a vehicle,

a mounting frame secured tosaid body and including a rearwardly locatedtie frame having a forwardly and rearwardly extending guideway,forwardly and rearwardly extending drawbars pivoted at their forwardends to said mounting frame for upward and downward movements attheirrear ends, means connected between the mounting'frame and thedrawbars for moving the latter upwardly and downwardly at their rearends, a member extending in a generally crosswise direction beneath thevehicle body and secured to said drawbars between their front and rearends for vertical movement with the drawbars relative to said guideway,a sway bar pivotally attached on a crosswise pivot axis to said lastmentioned member and extending rearwardly therefrom slidably into theguideway and laterally confined by said guideway, a generallytransversely extending device for working upon ice and compacted snowover which the vehicle tnavels, mounting means for attaching said deviceto the drawbars, said mounting means including slides engaging thedrawbars and movable forwardly and rearwardly thereon, means forsecuring said slides in adjusted positions upon said drawbars.

4. An underbody ice blade mechanism for mounting beneath a vehicle body,comprising a mounting frame secured to said vehicle body, a drawbar ateach side of the frame and said drawbars being pivoted at forward endsto the frame for upward and downward swinging movements at their rearends, slides on the rear end portions of the drawbars and adjustableforwardly and rearwardly thereupon, means for locking theslides inadjusted positions on the drawbars, an ice blade extending crosswisebeneath the drawbars, a pair of brackets secured to the blade adjacenteach end, a bearing member pivoted between each pair of brackets andsaid bearing members having upwardly opening sockets, pivot meansextending downwardly from the slides and oscillatably mounted aboutgenerally upright axes in said sockets to pivotally connect the blade tothe drawbars through said slides, means connected between the mountingframes and the drawbars to swing the latter upwardly and downwardly andvertically adjust the-blade with respect to the vehicle body, a tieframe forming a rear part of the mounting frame and having a forwardlyand rearwardly extending guideway, a swaybar slidable in said guidewayand pivotally connected at its forward end to the back of the blade, andmeans for pivotally adjusting and locking the bearing members withrespect to said brackets and the blade to thereby vary the tilt of theblade.

5. In an ice blade mechanism for mounting beneath 'a vehicle body, amounting frame secured to said vehicle body, a drawbar at each side ofthe frame and said drawbars being pivoted at forward ends to the framefor upward and downward swinging movements at their rear ends, slides onthe rear end portions of the drawbars and adjustable forwardly andrearwardly thereupon, means for locking the slides in adjusted positionson the drawbars, an ice blade extending crosswise beneath the drawbars,a pair of brackets secured to the blade adjacent each end, a bearingmember pivoted between each pair of brackets and said bearing membershaving upwardly opening sockets, pivot means extending downwardly fromthe slides andoscillatably mounted about generally upright axes in saidsockets to pivotally connect theblade to the drawbars through saidslides, means connected between the mounting frame and the drawbars toswing the latter upwardly and downwardly and vertically adjust the bladewith respect to the vehicle body, said bearing members having a seriesof openings and pins for locking the bearing members through saidopenings to the brackets to thereby vary the tilt of the blade. 6. Anunderbody ice blade mechanism for mounting beneath a vehicle body,comprising a mounting frame secured to said vehicle body, a drawbar ateach side of the frame and said drawbars being pivoted at forward endsto the frame for upward and downward swinging movements at their rearends, slides on the rear end portions of the'drawbars and adjustableforwardlyand rearwardly thereupon, means for locking the slides inadjusted positions on the drawbars, an ice blade extending crosswisebeneath the drawbars, a pair ofbrackets secured to the blade adjacenteach end, a bearing member pivoted between each pair of brackets andsaid'bearing 9 members having upwardly opening bearing sockets, pivotmeans extending downwardly from the slides and oscillatably mountedabout generally upright axes in said sockets to pivotally connect theblade to the drawbars through said slides, hydraulic rams connectedbetween the mounting frame and the drawbars to swing the latter upwardlyand downwardly and vertically adjust the blade with respect to thevehicle body, a tie frame forming a rear part of the mounting frame andhaving a forwardly and rearwardly extending guideway, 21 sway barslidable in said guideway and pivotally connected at its forward end tothe back of the blade, supports connected to and extending upwardly fromthe bearing members, and hydraulic rams connected between said supportsand the blade to vary the tilt of the blade.

7. In an underbody ice blade mechanism for mounting beneath a vehiclebody, a mounting frame secured to said vehicle body, a drawbar at eachside of the frame and said drawbars being pivoted at forward ends to theframe for upward and downward swinging movements at their rear ends,slides on the rear end portions of the drawbars and adjustable forwardlyand rearwardly thereupon, means for locking the slides in adjustedpositions on the drawbars, an ice blade extending crosswise beneath thedrawbars, a pair of brackets secured to the blade adjacent each end, abearing member pivoted between each pair of brackets and said bearingmembers having upwardly opening bearing sockets, pivot means extendingdownwardly from the slides and oscillatably mounted about generallyupright axes in said sockets to pivotally connect the blade to thedrawbars through said slides, means connecting the said pivot means inthe bearing sockets to lock the bearing members against downwardmovement, means connected between the mounting frame and the drawbars toswing the latter upwardly and downwardly and vertically adjust the bladewith respect to the vehicle body, and means for pivotally adjusting andlocking the bearing members with respect to said brackets and the bladeto thereby vary the tilt of the blade.

8. Mechanism for use upon a traveling frame and for crushing ice upon asurface traveled by said frame, comprising an assembly of circulardisks, a shaft on which the disks are mounted in spaced apart relation,means connecting the shaft to said frame so that the peripheral edges ofthe disks will roll on and crush the ice on said surface, the peripheraledges of the disks being wrinkled and undulating from side to sideentirely around the disks whereby to form ruts in the ice of varyingwidths, said disks having hubs to fit said shaft and one end of each ofsaid hubs being internally beveled, split spacer collars located on theshaft between said hubs and each collar having an end externally beveledto fit the internally beveled end of the hubs, and means for exertingendwise pressure along the shaft on the assembly of hubs and collars toconstrict the beveled ends of the collars within the beveled ends of thehubs and tightly around the shaft to lock the disks to the shaft.

9. Mechanism for use upon 'a traveling frame and for crushing ice upon asurface traveled by said frame,

comprising an assembly of circular disks, a shaft on which the disks aremounted in spaced apart relation, means connecting the shaft to saidframe so that the peripheral edges of the disks will roll on and crushthe ice on said surface, the peripheral edges of the disks beingwrinkled and undulating from side to side entirely around the diskswhereby to form ruts in the ice of varying widths, said disks havinghubs to fit said shaft and one end of each of said hubs being beveled,split spacer collars located on the shaft between said hubs and eachcollar having an end beveled to fit the beveled end of the hubs, meansfor exerting endwise pressure on the assembly of disks, hubs and collarswhereby said beveled ends of the hubs and collars will lock the disks tothe shaft, said last mentioned means comprising caps at the ends of theshaft, cap screws passing through the cap into the shaft to crowd thecaps endwise against the assembly of disks, hubs and collars thereon,and covers removably mounted over the caps and enclosing the cap screws.

10. In an ice and snow crushing mechanism of the character described formounting beneath the body of a vehicle, a mounting frame secured to saidbody, forwardly and rearwardly extending drawbars pivoted at theirforward ends to said mounting frame for upward and downward movements attheir rear ends, means connected between the mounting frame and thedrawbars for moving the latter upwardly and downwardly at their rearends, a member extending in a generally crosswise direction beneath thevehiele body and secured to said drawbars between their front and rearends, a pair of disk assemblies for working upon ice and compacted snowover which the vehicle travels, mounting means for attaching said diskassemblies one to each of the drawbars, said mounting means includingslides engaging the drawbars and movable forwardly and rearward-1ythereon, means for securing said slides in adjusted po sitions upon saiddrawbars, and trunnions connecting said disk assemblies to the slidesfor oscillating movement of the assemblies in generally transverse andupright planes.

' References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

